Hearts of Gold
by OhEmGeeMail
Summary: From an early age Viviette knew she wanted to save lives, it didn't take long for her to realize that not everyone could be saved. But she knew she would keep him alive even if it cost her own life. He was her everything. ArminxOC
1. Chapter 1

**Hearts of Gold**

"_You don't have to do this you know."_

"_But I do, you know I do."_

"_Why does it always have to be you?"_

"_I helped develop the plan, I have to be there. I'm in just as much danger as the next person, you know that."_

"_No...it's different, they make you do way too much." _

"_You shouldn't talk like that, I signed up for-" _

"_It's for him isn't it? It's always for him."_

"_Please...please don't."_

"_Well what about me, huh? Do I not matter to you? Don't you know that if you die then I die too... that I have nothing to live for? Don't you get it? Don't you know what you do to me?"_

"_Please stop."_

"_No, do you know what-"_

"_Viviette."_

"_Don't interrupt me."_

"_Viviette."_

"Viviette!"

The ten year old shot up into a sitting position, whipping her head around to identify the source of the voice that had disrupted her nap. Her eyes landed on her older brother Walter, sharp blue eyes stared into glazed blue ones. She swung her legs around and pressed her feet against the cool wooden floors, the temperature sending a shiver up her spine, the sensation helping rouse her from her state of sleep induced confusion.

"What do you want?" she asked quietly.

"It's time for your lessons." he replied.

"Oh."

"You've got one minute before I leave."

He spun on his heel and left, leaving her alone. A loud yawn spilled from her mouth as she lifted her arms high above her head and stretched like a cat. When she felt more awake, Viviette hopped up onto her feet and made her way towards the front door. She stepped into her worn boots, wiggling her toes as she always did, and slipped her bag over her shoulder. Viviette exited the house with Walter right behind her and together they began the short trek through Shiganshina to her lessons. Walter made his way in front and she didn't make an effort to regain her spot, knowing it would only irritate him. Walter had never been too fond of her. She always told herself it was because of their five year age difference, he just didn't want to have to deal with his kid sister. But she was only kidding herself, she knew why he didn't like her. It was because of her he had to give up his dream to join the military. With their mother and older brother Leren in the Survey Corps and their father always cooped up in his study working, someone had to be there to take care of her and so the duty fell onto Walter's shoulders. He'd wanted to join the military like their mother and brother. Because of Viviette, he never got the opportunity to enlist and as a result, he'd always turned a cold shoulder towards her.

A loud ruckus shook her from her thoughts and she peeked down an alley to see three older boys circled around something. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but she assumed by their rowdy cheers that something exciting was happening. She tugged on Walter's sleeve.

"What's going on down there?" She pointed in the boys' direction.

He squinted down the alley. "Just a couple of bullies picking on some kid, it's none of our business."

"Well shouldn't we help?"

"You're just a girl, you aren't going to be able to do anything. But by all means be my guest, why don't we see what some bullies are going to do to a little girl." taunted Walter.

Heat flooded her cheeks as she flushed with embarrassment. Viviette looked away from the scene and marched off. Walter laughed before retaking his spot as the leader. A pit began to form in her stomach the further they got from the fight, it wasn't sitting right with her that they'd simply left. She felt like a bully herself for just walking away, but as much as she hated to admit it, Walter was right. What was a scrawny ten year old girl going to do? With a huff, Viviette diverted her attention to the gigantic wall that was Wall Maria. She often found herself day dreaming about life outside the walls, surely there was more out there. Perhaps there were places where there were no titans, where people were free to explore. Sometimes she thought she resented the walls for keeping them cooped up, but she knew it was a foolish and irrational thought. If it weren't for the walls, no one would be safe from the horrors out there. Only the most courageous ventured outside Wall Maria. A smile pulled at her lips as pride replaced the guilt she had felt earlier.

"Can you believe mom and Leren go out there? They're so brave." she gushed.

"I guess." Walter shrugged.

It wasn't long until she was on the doorstep of the Jaeger household. Walter reached over her head and knocked.

"I'm going to Mia's house, I'll be back later to pick you up." he said.

Before she could get out another word, he was already walking away. Walter typically went to his girlfriend Mia's house while she was at lessons. Vivette let out a sigh and gripped the strap of her bag while rocking back and forth on her heels. The door swung open and a disheveled woman looked at her. Carla Jaeger smiled and stepped back so she could enter.

"Hello Vivette," she wrung her hands out on her apron and shut the door behind her, "I'm sorry I don't have any snacks prepared. I honestly forgot you were coming today, Grisha didn't mention it at breakfast."

"No it's okay, you don't have to apologize Mrs. Jaeger."

"Sweetheart, you can call me Carla you know."

The ten year old followed Carla into the kitchen and took a seat at the table, letting her bag slip off her shoulder and onto the floor by her feet.

"Let me go grab Grisha for you, he's in the basement doing God knows what." she explained before leaving to retrieve her husband.

VIvette had been coming to the Jaeger house for lessons in all things healing for two years and despite the challenging material, it was something she looked forward to every week. The women in her family had always been involved with medicine in some shape or form and it would be no different for her. She planned to follow in her mother's foot steps and join the Survey Corps. She would use her medical knowledge on the front lines and save as many lives as she could, at least that was her plan. She'd been very fortunate to have Grisha Jaeger take her under his wing as a student. He was the great doctor who had saved hundreds of lives when the deadly plague came through the land and while Vivette wasn't alive for it, she'd heard the stories of Dr. Jaeger's life changing work and admired him all the same. She enjoyed the company of the other Jaeger family members as well. Carla had become a mother figure to her, filling the void her own mother had left. She didn't see much of her mother, she was either out on missions with the Survey Corps or tending to the wounded soldiers who were lucky enough to return alive. It was a rare treat to catch her mother at home. Vivette appreciated getting to come over to the Jaeger house and talking about her week to someone who genuinely cared about her well being. She honestly didn't see much of their son Eren and adopted daughter Mikasa, they weren't around when she was. They were all the same age save a few months. She'd seen them in passing and they'd all exchange small pleasantries, sometimes she'd catch them outside of the house with their blond companion Armin, but they never really played together. They were nice enough to her when she did see them though.

"Vivette good to see you again," Grisha greeted, "I honestly forgot you were coming today."

Carla rolled her eyes. "I wish you'd told me Viviette was coming today, I would have made something to eat, it's hard to learn on an empty stomach."

"It's okay, I ate at home." Viviette said.

She picked her bag up off the floor and dumped its contents onto the table. Grisha chuckled as she arranged her notebooks and writing utensils.

"I see you're more than ready today," he noted, taking a seat across from her with his medical bag in hand, "we're going over basic injuries today."

Viviette sat up straight as an arrow as Grisha started the lesson, her left hand flying across the pages of her notebook taking down notes. He'd have to slow down every once in awhile to let her writing catch up with his words. When he finished covering the basics, he moved on to application. He had her kick off her boots and using her foot, demonstrated how to properly wrap a sprained ankle to compress the injury. Her eyes were glued to his hands as he wrapped her ankle, taking in the way he moved and the technique he used to keep the bandage taut against her 'injury'. She learned better by practice than by words, but she knew she would always need to take notes during every single lesson. Especially when they were dealing with illnesses and their various cures. Viviette always struggled with those lessons in particular, it was difficult for her to comprehend something she was not able to see or touch. She only had her notes and Dr. Jaeger's words to go off of. She couldn't wait until she was old enough to accompany him on house calls so she could gain more experience with medicine. Simple injuries like her fake ankle sprain were a piece of cake. She got to watch him work and she practiced to her heart's content when she was at home. Despite her struggles with the medicinal part of healing, Grisha always commended Viviette for her hard work and determination. He impressed someone as young as her was so interested in the art of healing. Grisha was unwrapping her ankle when Carla joined them at the table with a plate of small sandwiches.

"I know you said you weren't hungry, but a little brain food every now and then doesn't hurt." she winked in Vivette's direction.

As if on cue, her stomach emitted a low growl and she found herself beet red from embarrassment a second time that day.

"Thank you…" she mumbled as she bashfully reached for a sandwich.

She started flipping through her notes while she ate, taking the opportunity to review the things she'd learned so far. They'd gone through a fair amount of information from treating sprained ankles to dislocated shoulders. She wanted to make sure she knew it forwards and backwards before moving on to anything else.

"You work way too hard Vivette," Carla commented, "don't you ever take a break? It's not good for a kid to spend all their time studying. Maybe you can play with Eren and Mikasa some time."

"Oh don't pester her Carla, I think what she's doing is very commendable for a child her age."

"Thank you, I want to learn as much as I can before I turn thirteen." she admitted around a bite of her sandwich.

"And why is that?" asked Carla.

"I want to join the Survey Corps as soon as possible."

The smile on Carla's face vanished after hearing Vivette's admission. She laced her fingers together and eyed the small girl seated across from her.

"That's an interesting dream for a ten year old to have, what makes you want to join the Survey Corps?" she questioned, pacing her words slowly.

"Because my mom and brother are in it, I feel like I should be in it too."

"I'm not sure that's a very good reason, it's a very dangerous job Viviette. Especially because you want to join while you're still so young. You could always wait a few years before enlisting." Carla said.

"I know, but it's what I really want to do. My mom and brother are really good at it so I know I'd be good at it too. Whenever they're home, sometimes I'll sneak downstairs so I can hear them tell my dad about all of the things they've seen. I want to leave the walls when I'm older, I want to see the whole world." Viviette declared.

"Don't you want to stay here where it's safe?" she questioned, "I'm sure you will be a very talented doctor from here."

"Dr. Jaeger is such a good doctor, he doesn't need my help here. I want to be out there so I can help more and more soldiers come home, that's why I need to learn as much as I can before then." she admitted.

Carla was getting ready to continue her protest when her husband gave her knee a light squeeze. From the corner of her eye, she could see Grisha shooting her a sharp look with a slight shake of his head. She held back her disapproval.

"I think what you are doing is very noble," he started, "and I will do my best to teach you as much as I can."

Viviette grinned. "Thank you so much, you're one of the nicest people I know. Thank you for taking me as a student."

"You're a sweet girl, now why don't we get back to-"

A loud bang shot through the house followed by noisy footsteps coming towards them. Eren burst into the room looking quite disheveled. His hair stuck up in every direction, a few small tears decorated his shirt and trousers, and a small trail of blood had dried under his nose.

"Eren!" Carla cried, "What happened?"

She flew out of her seat and was by Eren's side in an instant. Carla grabbed his chin and turned his head from side to side, inspecting the damage. Annoyed, Eren shook out of his mother's grasp.

"Mom not right now," he whined, "I need help."

Grisha stood and walked to his son. "What happened?"

"Some stupid idiots cornered Armin and ganged up on him, me and Mikasa saw him so we went to help but they'd already beat him up pretty bad. Come on dad, you've got to help him." Eren explained, grabbing his dad's hand and pulling him towards the front of the house.

"Where is he now?" Grisha asked.

"Sitting on the steps outside." Eren answered.

"You and Mikasa bring him in and sit him on the couch, I'll be there in a moment." Grisha instructed.

Eren shot out of the room, yelling for Mikasa to help him.

"That poor boy," Carla began, "he is always getting picked on."

"I'm sure it's nothing serious if they were able to walk here," he looked to the girl still seated at the table, "why don't you help me with this one Viviette."

"M-me? Am I ready? I don't know-" she sputtered on her words until Grisha cut her off.

"You'll do fine, bring my medical bag into the sitting area."

Grabbing his bag from the table, Viviette trailed after him into the living room. Eren and Mikasa were sitting Armin on the couch when they entered. She gasped at the sight of him. His left eye had swollen and taken on an angry shade of red, his cheek sporting a similar color. His clothes were just as torn as Eren's, if not more, and splotches of scarlet stained his blue sweater. One of his shoes was off and his ankle had swollen up as well. She could see the tears that rimmed his bright blue eyes and she could hardly imagine how he was feeling. Grisha knelt in front of him and inspected Armin while Viviette watched over his shoulder.

"Viviette, have Carla help you make an ice pack please."

"Of course." she quipped and scurried back to the kitchen.

Carla was there waiting, worry etched into her features.

"Can you help me make an ice pack?" she asked.

Viviette collected ice from their ice bin while Carla fetched a rag for her. With her materials, she quickly wrapped the ice up in the rag and secured it with a spare piece of string. Cradling her ice pack like she would a precious tiara, she delivered it to Grisha who passed it along to Armin.

"Hold it to your cheek Armin."

"O-okay." he whimpered, wincing when the cold ice touched his skin.

"Now Armin, would you be comfortable with Viviette wrapping your ankle?" Grisha asked in a soft voice.

"What? No way, I bet she's never done it before. She's just gonna break it." Eren protested, earning a small shove from Mikasa.

"You don't know that." she countered.

"I...I suppose that would be okay." Armin answered.

Grisha looked over his shoulder to a stunned Viviette. "Do you remember how I showed you?"

"I-I haven't had a chance to practice yet, I don't know if I can do it." she said quietly.

"Well then here's your chance."

He moved from his spot in front of Armin and had Viviette take his place, pressing a roll of bandages into her trembling hands. She tipped her head back to look at him, searching for something to tell her not to do it, but he simply nodded. It was all the confirmation she needed. She unrolled the bandage and turned back to Armin.

"I...I'm sorry if I hurt you."

She took a deep breath and pressed the end of the bandage against the ball of his foot, slowly wrapping his injury in the figure eight motion she'd seem demonstrated earlier. Her stomach felt like a jumbled mess, she could practically feel Eren against her back as he watched from over her shoulder. If she messed up, he'd never let her live it down. Carefully she continued wrapping Armin's ankle until it as well as his foot were covered. When she reached the end of the badage, she fastened it with two small metal prongs and looked down at her handy work. There weren't any lumps in the bandage and his toes weren't turning white, but she'd have to have it inspected before being absolutely sure. She caught Armin's gaze and offered him a soft smile.

"Did I make it too tight?" she asked.

Armin shook his head. "No, it's fine."

Viviette moved from her spot so Grisha could check for any flaws, but the only problem he found was in her prong placement which he quickly corrected. A blend of pride and excitement welled in her stomach, she had to stop herself from jumping up and down. She'd done it, she had her first patient and successfully helped them. If this was the feeling she'd get from healing people, she never wanted to stop. A hand fell on her shoulder and she looked up at Grisha.

"You did a good job Viviette." he praised.

She couldn't hold back her grin.

"I was really scared, I thought I was going to mess up but I didn't. I did it!" she cried.

He ruffled her mop of brown curls before picking up his bag. "That you did. And I think this is a good place for us to stop today."

He returned to the kitchen leaving the four kids alone.

"That was pretty cool, I didn't think you were going to do it right." Eren admitted, giving her a congratulatory slap on the back.

She winced. "Uh, thanks."

"Thanks for helping me Viviette, that was really nice. You didn't have to..." Armin said sheepishly.

She quickly shook her head. "You're the one I should be thanking, you let me wrap your ankle without knowing if I could even do it. I could have messed up and hurt you, you're pretty brave Armin."

He flushed. "Thanks I guess."

"We were going to play a game of cards, would you like to join us?" Mikasa offered.

"I'd like that."

The four kids gathered around and spent the rest of the afternoon playing card games until Viviette was picked up by her brother. She knew he didn't have any interest in hearing about her day, but that didn't stop her from giving him a play by play of everything she'd done. When she returned home, she flew up to her bedroom and flopped onto her bed belly first, clutching her bag tight against her chest. Her mind was racing, so much had happened to her in a small span of time. It was overwhelming; in a good way, and she wanted to collect her thoughts. One thought stuck out to her though.

"I'm going to be the best medic the Survey Corps has ever seen."

* * *

So welcome to Hearts of Gold. Armin is one of my favorite characters and this is a fic I've been playing around with for awhile, so I decided to go ahead and post it. Please excuse any grammatical errors, I did my best editing but there's only so much I can do. If anyone would like to beta, I'd greatly appreciate hearing from you. This starts before the first Colossal Titan attack, we'll get there soon though. Thanks and I'd really like hearing from you guys. I only own Viviette and her family.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hearts of Gold**

"Open up Viviette!"

She didn't answer.

"Hey open up!"

She continued ignoring him.

"Maybe she's not home Eren."

"No way, I know she's home. Come on out Viviette, I know you're in there and I'm not leaving until you come outside!"

Thoroughly annoyed, Viviette slammed her notebook shut and stomped to the door, practically ripping it off its hinges.

"You're being really loud, what do you want?" she snapped.

Eren, Mikasa, and Armin stood on her doorstep sweating like pigs.

"Well maybe if you weren't such a slow poke I wouldn't have to yell," he explained as if it were common sense, "but anyway you should come with us to the canal."

She scratched her arm. "I don't know if I can, I really need to study and besides it's really hot. I don't wanna go outside."

"Oh come on, you're always busy studying," he countered, "and plus my mom packed desserts for us, you don't want them to go to waste do you?"

He waved the basket he'd been carrying in her face.

"You should come with us Viviette, it'll be fun." Armin added.

"Oh fine, I guess I'll tag along. You guys can wait inside while I tell my brother." she sighed, stepping out of the way so they could escape the heat.

She led them into the kitchen and retrieved glasses of water for them which they readily accepted.

"I'll be right back." she said and ran past them towards the stairs.

Taking two steps at a time, she flew upstairs and skidded to a stop outside of Walter's bedroom door. She lifted a fist and knocked loudly. A thud came from the other side followed by a string of curses. Walter opened the door and it was obvious he'd just woken up from a nap, his hair was askew and his clothes wrinkled.

"What do you want?" he hissed.

"Uh I'm gonna go with my friends down to the canal so I'm gonna be gone for awhile. I just wanted someone to know." she said quickly.

Walter waved her off. "Fine whatever, go away."

He slammed the door and Viviette joined her friends back in the kitchen. They finished their waters before going back out to brave the heat. It didn't take long for her to start sweating, the late August sun showing no mercy as it unleashed it's rays on them. She was beginning to regret agreeing to go out with them. But she couldn't deny that she always had a good time when they invited her out. It had been three weeks since she'd wrapped Armin's ankle and ever since they'd all been spending a lot of their free time together.

"Say Viviette, why don't we ever see your mom around?" Eren asked.

"Well she's in the Survey Corps so she's always gone." she answered.

"What are you serious?"

She nodded.

"That's so cool, I bet she's beaten a ton of titans! Your mom sounds so cool!" he exclaimed.

"I have another brother who's in it too and sometimes when they come home, I'll sneak downstairs to hear about their missions. Mom says I'm not old enough to hear about them but I think I am, I'm already ten and plus I'm gonna be eleven soon, that's plenty old enough."

"Do you think you'll join them too?" Armin asked.

"Yup, that's why I've been studying so hard. I want to be a medic like my mom so I need to learn as much as I can before I enlist." she said proudly.

"I think that's really brave of you, I bet you're going to see all kinds of really cool things, you'll have to tell me about them, I've always wanted to go outside the walls." he admitted.

"Why don't you join Armin?"

"Me? Oh no I don't think I'd do very well in the Survey Corps, I'm not very strong." he said, looking away to hide the flush of his cheeks.

"Well I think you're plenty strong Armin." she said with a grin.

"Man, I think it'd be so cool to join the Survey Corps, I don't want to stay stuck behind these walls my whole life, I'm not a cow. I should be allowed to go outside the wall if I want to, it's my life" Eren ranted.

"That's heresy you know, don't let anyone hear you." Mikasa warned.

"Yeah yeah I know and there's no way I could do it anyway, my mom would flip out." he groaned.

"It's because she loves you." she replied.

He rolled his eyes. "I know, but she can't baby me her whole life. I'm going to grow up some day."

lt didn't take long for the four kids to reach the break in the canal and Viviette ran ahead to the stairs leading to the water. She kicked her shoes off and plopped down on the bottom step, shoving her feet in the cool water. She let out a contented sigh and leaned back on her elbows, tipping her head back to look at the sky. The sky was a vibrant shade of blue and she thought the clouds resembled big fluffy dandelions. She pretended to pick one and blow it away. Eren, Mikasa, and Armin joined her on the steps and soon had their feet in the water as well. Eren passed along frozen fruit and Viviette ended up with a peach. Not waiting for anyone else, she sunk her teeth into its flesh and shivered as the cold fruit slid down her throat. She wiped away juice that had slipped down her chin.

"Wow Eren, it was really nice of your mom to pack this for us." she said happily.

"No problem, I think she just wanted me out of the house." Eren replied.

"Well you can be annoying." she quipped.

"Oh yeah? Well tell me how annoying you think this is."

Before she could react, Viviette felt a hard shove against her back and she was falling face first into the shallow water. She landed on her hands and knees, but it was enough to soak her clothes.

"Eren!" she shrieked, jumping up onto her feet.

She threw her peach at his chest with as much strength she could muster and was satisfied when it nailed her target. Not letting Eren get the best of her, she squatted down and began shoveling water at him. He laughed and quickly joined her in the canal, starting a splash fight between them while Armin and Mikasa laughed at their antics. Viviette was soaked from head to toe when she realized Armin and Mikasa were still completely dry. It didn't sit right with her, she'd have to do something about it.

"Hey Eren, what do you say to a truce?" she asked, holding her hand out.

She quickly shot a look at their companions and Eren nodded in understanding.

"That sounds splendid Viviette." he agreed and shook her hand.

"Now!" she cried

Eren and Viviette turned and started splashing them. It created an all out war as the four of them sloshed water around. Mikasa proved to be very agile and while she was still wet, she wasn't nearly as drenched as the other three. Fatigue settled into them and it wasn't long until they were seated on the bottom step again with their feet propped up in the water, their water war long forgotten. As irritated as she was with Eren for pushing her in, she couldn't say she regretted it. Being in the cold water was much better than baking in the heat. Eren retrieved fruit for them and Viviette and Armin ended up sharing a small package of cherries. She popped one into her mouth and chewed slowly, being careful not to swallow the pit. She spat it into the canal and reached for another.

They spent the afternoon chatting about anything and everything, from life outside the walls to the bullies at school. The sun was beginning to set when Viviette heard her name being called. She turned to see Walter running towards her.

"You've gotta come home, the Survey Corps are coming home and we've got to get ready for mom and Leren!" he yelled.

Excitement coursed through her veins as she shot up to her feet and clumsily pulled her shoes on. Her mom and brother were finally coming home, it'd been a long time since she'd seen them last. She wanted to tell them about her lessons and her new friends, there were so many things she wanted to do with them. She turned back to her friends with a grin.

"I've got to go guys, but come over tomorrow and hopefully you'll get to meet my mom." she called with a wave.

"Bye Viviette, see you tomorrow." Armin replied.

Walter and Viviette ran the whole way home and their father was quickly tidying up the living room, it was the first time in a week she'd seen him outside of his study.

"Go get changed Viviette, your mother and brother will be home soon." he said.

She nodded and rushed past him to get to her room. Clothes went flying as she wrestled her legs out of her pants and tugged her shirt over her head. They were replaced with a long navy dress and a white sweater to go over it. Viviette's hair was an absolute mess and she tried brushing it but after a minute of trying to tame her curls, decided to abandon the cause and tied it back with a ribbon. She rejoined her father and brother downstairs, her heart hammering loudly in her chest. They waited patiently but as minutes merged into hours, they slowly began losing their vigor. What was taking them so long?

"I'm sure everything is fine kids, I bet your mother got caught up with the injured soldiers and Leren stayed with her. They'll be here soon." he said with false confidence.

Their prayers were answered when a quiet knock came from the door. Their father was at the door first with Viviette and Walter flanking him. She clutched the back of his shirt until her knuckles turned white as he opened the door. Instead of seeing their family members, they were greeted by two sullen soldiers.

"I...is this the Tieren household?" asked the soldier.

"It is." her father replied, his voice faltering.

"Where is my mom?" Viviette asked rudely, interrupting their conversation.

She didn't notice the soldier wince as Walter pinched her harshly and berated her for butting in.

"I'm here on behalf of the Survey Corps," the soldier continued, "I'm here to report that Elisa Tieren is...is missing in action. This is all that was recovered."

The second soldier stepped forward and passed a folded green cloak to her father, who clutched it tight against his chest as tears welled in his eyes. She looked back and forth between her father and Walter, they both wore similar expressions. What was going on?

"What-" he choked back a sob, "what about my boy?"

"Leren Tieren is in critical condition and currently receiving medical care."

"When can we see him?"

"He will be returned home when he is in a more stable condition, for now we cannot allow any visitors."

Viviette stepped forward. "But what about my mom? You said she was missing, you're gonna go back for her right? You're going to find her? She's just lost right now, you guys have to find her."

She desperately looked to her father and brother for support, but they offered none as they tried keeping their emotions at bay. The soldier reached down and patted her head, he smiled sadly at her.

"We'll try kiddo, I promise...you've just got to stay strong for your family right now, okay?"

"Okay." she agreed.

The soldiers bowed slightly before taking their leave. Viviette shut the door and turned to the rest of her family with a hopeful smile.

"Did you hear that? They're going to go find mom and bring her home. And Leren's hurt right now but he'll be back soon too. We'll get to be a family again, you guys don't have to be sad." she said.

Her father squatted down to her level and grabbed her shoulders.

"No honey...your mother isn't coming back. She's gone."

She wrenched from his grasp. "How could you say that daddy? The soldier said he'd go find her, he promised me."

Viviette turned to Walter. "You believed him, didn't you?"

"You don't know what you're talking about Viviette, so just shut up." he said angrily, tears running down his face.

"Dad, she's not gone. Mom's going to come back right?" she asked with tears of her own beginning to form.

He crushed her against his chest in a tight hug. "She's not coming back."

That night instead of being bright with celebration, the Tieren house was dark and silent with mourning.

* * *

Armin anxiously paced outside of Viviette's house, debating whether or not he should simply return home. He'd heard through the grapevine that her mother had died and understood why she didn't want to be bothered, but he hadn't seen her in weeks. August had merged into September and he had yet to see her, he took it upon himself to check up on her. Eren wanted to join but Armin convinced him to stay behind, he didn't want to overwhelm her. Viviette's situation hit very close to home for him. Gathering his courage, he walked up to her door and knocked. A man he'd never seen before answered and Armin couldn't help it as his eyes zoned in on the stump that used to be the man's left arm. This must be Viviette's oldest brother. Realizing how rude he was being, he quickly shook his head and did his best to fight back a blush.

"Hi I uh, I was wondering if Viviette was in." he stuttered.

"And who might you be?" he asked, his voice soft.

"I'm her friend Armin, Armin Arlert sir."

"Come in and please, Leren is fine."

Armin stepped inside and followed behind Leren as he led him upstairs. They stopped outside the door at the end of the hall.

"Viviette there's a friend for you." he called.

"I...I'm not in the mood to see anyone today." she replied.

"Please open up, your friend came all this way." he pleaded.

"Fine, come in." she said after a few minutes.

"Please be patient with her, she's having a hard time." Leren said before leaving.

Armin opened her door and felt his heart clench at the sight of her. Vivette looked absolutely miserable. Her eyes were usually so vibrant but now looked dull and bloodshot, the skin around them swollen and red from crying. The smile he'd grown used to was gone. She was dressed from head to toe in wrinkled black clothes.

"What are you doing here Armin?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing," he patted her bed, "can I sit with you?"

She nodded slowly. Armin took his shoes off and climbed up next to her, taking his knapsack off and setting it on his lap. He grabbed her hand and gave it a firm squeeze.

"I'm really sorry about what happened Viviette." he said.

"Everyones been saying that, but they don't understand." she whimpered.

Panic overtook him as fresh tears rolled down her red cheeks, he was trying to make her feel better, not make her cry again.

"I do Viviette." he said when she stopped heaving.

She looked at him. "No you don't."

"My parents passed away too, they were soldiers just like your mom. You should count yourself lucky Viviette, even though she wasn't home a lot you still got ten years with her." he said softly.

Her bottom lip quivered. "Oh Armin, I'm sorry. I… I didn't know."

"It's okay, you don't have to apologize."

Viviette's grip on his hand tightened. "How can you speak so casually about them? Doesn't it hurt? How are you so strong Armin?"

"I'm used to it now, they died when I was still pretty young and sure I miss them but I can't let the ghost of them keep me from moving forward. I've accepted that they're gone and I can't change that. I know they wouldn't want me to spend my whole life being sad." he explained.

"That's very mature of you Armin. I don't think I can do it." she admitted.

"I know you can do it, you've got your dad and brothers to support you too."

"They're doing worse than me. My dad locked himself in his study and won't come out, Walter is never home anymore. Leren came home last week and he's trying to be strong, but when we're all in bed I can hear him crying. He gets nightmares and he screams for our mom…." she trailed off.

"Well I'm here to support you too Viviette, don't count me out. Eren and Mikasa are going to be here too, we all care about you." he said.

"Thank you Armin...that means a lot." she sniffed, wiping her runny nose on her sleeve.

"Do you remember when we talked about stuff outside the walls?" he asked, changing the direction of the conversation.

She nodded.

"Well I brought something really cool for you to look at."

Armin opened his knapsack and retrieved his grandfather's book. "It's got all kinds of stuff about life outside the walls, but we aren't supposed to have it so you've got to promise not to tell anyone about it."

"I promise."

He opened the book and flipped through the pages, stopping to show her his favorite parts. They spent hours delving into the book, scanning the pages he'd already read hundreds of time. He was pleased to find another person to talk to about life outside the walls. So far it had just been him and Eren, it was nice knowing Viviette shared the same mind set as them. Armin couldn't even count the number of times he'd been called a heretic for sharing his beliefs. It was what his parents had died trying to see, he'd be damned if he didn't live out their dream. He would see the outside world one way or another.

"Are there really salt mines?" she asked, exasperated by the thought.

He nodded. "Yup, imagine getting to use all the salt you wanted. There are even huge bodies of water that are hundreds of meters deep, there are so many things left to explore in the world."

"This stuff is all so cool, I want to see it all." she sighed, turning to look out the window.

"One day we won't be under the titan's oppression and humans will be able to walk around free again. I sure hope it's in my lifetime." he said thoughtfully.

"I'm going to make it out there with the Survey Corps." she declared.

Armin was taken aback, he didn't expect her to still want to join.

"You're still going to enlist?"

"It's just like you said Armin, I've got to continue living."

She freed her hand from his grasp and tightened it into a fist. "And there's no way I'm going to let those titans get away with hurting my mom and brother, I'm going to make them pay."

"I'm not going to stop you or anything, just make sure you're safe."

"Of course."

Armin looked out the window at the sky, the sun was setting and it painted the sky with pleasant shades of orange and pink that blended together. He packed the book in his knapsack and slipped it onto his bag. He stepped into his shoes and smiled at Viviette, she was looking much better than before. Color returned to her cheeks and she was smiling again. It was small, but it was better than none at all.

"I've got to go, it's getting late."

"I'll see you out."

He followed her downstairs and out the front door. He was getting ready to walk down the road to his house when she caught his sleeve. She was looking down at her feet.

"Thank you for coming over Armin… it means a lot to me that you came." she said bashfully, hiding behind her hair to cover her burning red cheeks.

"It's not a problem, I wanted to come."

"Well I'll see you later."

Armin turned to leave when a thought struck him. "Oh hey Viviette, you mentioned your birthday was coming up when we were at the canal. When is it?"

"It was last week actually." she replied.

He frowned. "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't say anything."

She dismissed him. "No it's okay, you didn't know."

"Well happy belated birthday." he offered.

"Thank you Armin," she chuckled, "get home safe."

They waved and Armin waited until she was back inside before beginning his trek home. He thought hard about her wish to join the Survey Corps. Even after something so traumatic, she wasn't giving up on her dream. And Eren had shared his interest in joining the Survey Corps as well. Maybe he would join them too, it was his only chance to see the outside world with his best friend. But if it came down to it, would he be able to go through with it?

* * *

And there is chapter 2. Please excuse any grammatical errors, I do the best that I can. And I'd like to think that the death of Viviette's mother would help push Eren and Armin to initially join the Survey Corps. A family member of a friend died so surely they'd want to help avenge her death despite not knowing her. And I sort of merged the anime and manga together for Armin's family. In the manga his parents die while scavenging for food but it's his grandpa in the anime. I went with the anime for the sake of the story. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and I'll see you guys next time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hearts of Gold**

Viviette waited patiently for the quality of life at home to improve, but it'd been weeks since her mother's passing and things hadn't gotten any better. She thought she never saw her father before her mother's death, so she definitely was not prepared for him to completely disappear afterwards. Immediately after her mother's death, her father had been quite attentive but he slowly became more and more reclusive until he finally shut himself in. If she was lucky enough to catch him outside of his study, he acted as though she didn't exist, not daring to look her in the eye. She felt lower than dirt and the neglect was beginning to take a toll on her, she'd already lost one parent and now felt like she'd lost another. Walter was never around either, always spending his days doing God knows what and when he was home, he lashed out at everyone. While he wasn't particularly nice to her in the first place, Viviette did miss the way he used to be. If it weren't for Leren, she was positive she would be struggling like her other family members. At first she found spending time with him incredibly awkward and uncomfortable. She'd always admired Leren, he was the cool older brother who joined the Survey Corps, but their ten year age difference as well as him never being around while she was growing up made her uneasy. She didn't know anything about him and struggled relating to him now that he had returned. Regardless of their wide age gap, Leren was incredibly patient with her and slowly they developed a routine that worked for them. They took their meals together, he helped her study and escorted her to her lessons. He held her tight whenever she succumbed to her grief and wept for her mother, carrying her to bed when she finally passed out from exhaustion. She helped him adjust to living with one arm as well as the day to day life of an average citizen, he'd been in the military for a long period of time and as a result, struggled with transitioning into civilian life. They were there for each other and Viviette felt truly blessed to have him in her life.

"Viviette!"

"Huh?"

She whipped around and saw Eren sprinting towards her, she stopped to let him catch up. He desperately gasped for air after stopping and when he finally caught his breath, he scowled at her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.

"I've been trying to get your attention for ten minutes but you've been off in la la land so I had to chase you down." he snapped.

"I was just at your house," she said pointedly, " what could you possibly need?"

He rolled his eyes. "My mom decided you're having dinner with us tonight and she's not taking no for an answer."

Viviette rubbed the back of her neck. "I don't know, I'm pretty sure my brother is expecting me home for dinner."

"My mom insisted you come, you're going to hurt her feelings if you don't come. And besides, I had to run after you, that means you owe me."

"I don't think that's how that works but I guess I can go." she said hesitantly.

"Good, mom said I was allowed to drag you if I had to."

"I see now where you got your stubbornness from."

Eren ignored her and began walking back towards his house. He took slow and deliberate steps, deciding they would take their time returning so he could recuperate from his run. Viviette thought he was being overdramatic, but decided against calling him out.

"So how have you been with you know...everything?" Eren asked, looking away uncomfortably.

"Fine I guess." she replied.

"That's good, you know you can come to my house whenever you need anything."

"I know and thank you Eren, your family has been really great."

"Hey it's no problem, you're one of my friends and I'd do anything to help my friends." Eren declared determinedly, pumping his fist into the air.

Viviette nodded with a small smile. It was reassuring to know there were people who cared for her. Eren; as well as the rest of his family, had been very encouraging during her time of need. Eren didn't treat her any differently and she was glad for that. She wasn't damaged goods and didn't want to be treated as such simply because her mother had passed away. Even Mikasa; who rarely ever spoke to anyone other than Eren, was being more talkative than usual and while their conversations were typically short and straight to the point, Viviette enjoyed having a girl friend she could talk to. But it was Armin who had been there every step of the way. Ever since his initial visit, he'd made it a point to swing by her house every couple of days and just be with her. They would talk about a plethora of topics and just recently they'd decided to take up chess, using the old chess board simply collected dust in her attic. Despite losing nearly every match to him, Viviette didn't mind playing. It was a game where Armin's brilliance truly shined, impressing her with how quickly he could develop a strategy. While her ego was taking a bruising from the constant defeat, she decided it was worth it because of the wide grins he'd make after every victory. Viviette chuckled under her breath, one of these days she'd beat him.

"What's so funny?" Eren asked as they rounded the last bend to his house.

"I was just thinking about how Armin keeps beating me in chess." she answered.

He groaned. "Ugh me too, one time I swear he beat me in five moves."

"Shut up, you're lying. In five turns?"

"I promise!"

"I think that just means you're dumb." she teased.

Viviette narrowly avoided Eren's hard shove.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're annoying?" he retorted.

"You know, I may have heard that once or twice."

They shared a quick laugh before finally arriving at Eren's house, taking off their shoes at the door. Viviette pulled her bag over her head and set it on the floor by the coat rack. She wondered who lit the fire under Eren's butt, as soon as his shoes were off he sprinted to the kitchen, maybe he was just really hungry? She trailed after him and was taken aback at what she saw. Armin and Leren were seated at the table along with the rest of the Jaeger family. Her eyes were as wide as dinner plates, she'd just been there not twenty minutes ago for a lesson and she was absolutely positive Armin and Leren had not been there. She'd watched her brother leave after dropping her off, what in the world was going on?

"I...I'm confused. Am I in trouble? Did I do something bad?"

Carla laughed and got up from the table. She placed a hand on Viviette's shoulder and led her to the last available chair in between her and Eren.

"No sweetie you're not in trouble, a little bird told me your birthday was a little while back and that you didn't get to celebrate." she replied.

Vivette didn't notice the blush that spread across Armin's cheeks.

"I know it's a little bit late, but we all wanted you to have some sort of celebration, so I've been helping Carla put something together." Leren explained.

Viviette sat there stunned for a moment until her bottom lip began to quiver and her blue eyes brimmed with tears. She willed herself not to cry but it was to no avail as tears slid down her cheeks. Embarrassed, she tucked her chin and hid behind a curtain of her curls. Viviette was absolutely overwhelmed. She hadn't expected the surprise and was going through an emotional overload.

"T-t-thank you ev-everyone," she sobbed, "thank y-you. You d-didn't have to."

Carla leaned over and wrapped her arm around the crying girl's heaving shoulders, pulling her into a warm embrace.

"You sweet girl, you don't have to cry." she said softly.

"I can't help it, I'm just so happy." Viviette wailed and clenched her fists.

Sighs of relief came from the table, for a moment they were truly worried they'd upset her. Viviette wiped away her tears and the snot from her nose. She didn't want to look like a _total _baby. She smiled bashfully at everyone at the table.

"Thank you guys." she said, her voice still a bit shaky.

"You deserve a celebration, you don't turn eleven every year you know." said Grisha.

"Is this why we were walking so slow?" she asked, to which Eren nodded with a triumphant smirk.

Viviette caught Armin's gaze from across the table and smiled at him. She was positive he was the little bird Carla was referring to. He was the only one she'd mentioned her birthday to and she doubted Leren had planned this alone. She mouthed a quiet thank you and Armin humbly shook his head.

"Well we don't want to let the food get cold, let's dig in." Carla said before clapping her hands.

She portioned out large helpings of stew into bowls and passed them around. Vivette's mouth instantly watered as she anxiously waited for her bowl, stew was her favorite meal, she could eat it every day for the rest of her life and still want seconds. When a bowl was set in front of her, she eagerly scooped a spoonful and shoved it into her mouth. She squealed as the hot stew burned her tongue, but she wouldn't allow herself to spit it out.

"You're not supposed to just shove it in your mouth." Eren said as he made a point to blow on his stew.

Viviette rolled her eyes and after swallowing replied. "I'm just a faster eater than you."

She decided she'd actually blow on her stew to avoid further burning her tongue, ignoring Eren as he smirked. The meal itself was extremely pleasant, multiple conversations going on in between loud slurps. A feeling of belonging washed over Viviette, it was almost as though she was sharing a meal with her family. Her _entire _family. She thought long and hard, but came up short as she tried to recall a time they'd all eaten together. Her fist tightened around her spoon and she frowned into her stew. Why hadn't her father and Walter come? Surely Leren told them about the dinner. She figured they simply didn't care enough to come. As disappointed as she was by their absence, she wouldn't let it ruin her night. The Jaeger's had worked so hard to prepare everything and she wouldn't let it go to waste.

"So Viviette how does it feel to be eleven?" Grisha asked.

"Honestly I don't feel any different." she said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Well soon you'll be a young lady, you and Mikasa will have to start worrying about boys." Carla teased, chuckling at the disgusted looks both girls made.

Viviette groaned. "Ugh no, that's gross. Boys are rude and smelly, no thanks."

"Excuse me, I am not gross. I am a gentleman." Eren said with a flourish of his hand.

A long pause settled over the table as everyone stared at him. He frowned.

"Okay so I'm not always a gentleman."

Laughter spilled from the table as everyone teased Eren and his alleged gentlemanly ways, telling him to take lessons from Armin if he ever hoped to become a true gentleman. When the last drop of stew was eaten, they all helped Carla clear and clean the dishes. Everyone helped in one way or another, the kids cleared and wiped off the table while the adults dealt with the array of dishes, not wanting to risk a broken dish at the hands of a clumsy child. With the kitchen cleaned, the gathering moved to the living room and Viviette took a seat next to Leren on the floor. She squeezed his knee to get his attention.

"Thanks for this." she said appreciatively.

"I can't take all the credit, you should really be thanking Carla and your friend Armin. I honestly didn't know about anything until the very end." he admitted.

Viviette couldn't help but grin, she'd definitely have to do something for special for Carla and Armin for putting this on for her. She appreciated it more than they could ever know.

"Alright Viviette, we've got a couple more things for you." Carla said, shooting Eren a look. He got up from his seat and left the room, Viviette quickly shook her head.

"Oh no, I really couldn't accept anything, dinner was more than enough."

The older woman waved her hand in dismissal. "Hush, you're taking these gifts whether you like it or not."

Viviette could _definitely _see who Eren inherited his stubbornness from.

Eren returned with his arms full of small packages and he unceremoniously dumped them onto Viviette's lap, to which his mother snapped at him. She decided on opening the tan box first. Carefully, she lifted the lid and was surprised to see a plethora of small notebooks and writing utensils.

"That's from all of us," Grisha said, "we wanted to give you some very handy medicinal books that I've used throughout the years, there's some very useful information in there. And Viviette, if you think you're ready and if it's okay with your family, I'd like to take you on a few house calls with me."

If she hadn't already been sitting, Viviette was positive she would have collapsed. He wanted to take _her _on house calls with him? It was a great opportunity for her to see Dr. Jaeger at work and to get some good practice in.

"I'd love to go, thank you so much." she practically yelled while nodding her head enthusiastically.

She set the books down by her side and moved on to a small bag.

"Umm, that's from me." Armin said bashfully, looking away to hide his cherry red cheeks.

Grinning, Viviette tore into the bag and gasped as she pulled the gift out for everyone to see. It was a navy blue woven bracelet with a small wooden bishop charm. She held it closer to get a better look and after a quick inspection, realized it was most likely homemade.

"Armin, did you make this?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, but I had my grandpa help me with the charm. I kept messing it up." he said, holding his hands up to show her the small nicks and cuts covering his fingers.

"I can bandage those for you." she quietly offered.

Viviette was beyond touched. He'd gone out of his way; to the point of injuring his hands, to make her a birthday present. Especially because he'd used her favorite color for the bracelet and even whittled a bishop, her go to chess piece. She would cherish it forever.

"Thank you so much Armin, I love it. I'm never going to take it off." she said as she slipped it onto her wrist.

She opened the last package which was from her brother. It was a tiny pin of the Survey Corps emblem. Her eyes bugged out and she gaped at him, she'd never told her family about her plans to enlist. Leren must have been able to read her expression because he chuckled and explained his gift.

"I'm not an idiot Viviette, I know you want to enlist. And while I don't agree with it, I'm not going to stop you. I got this when I was in the Corps and if you want to join so bad, I think you should keep it. That way when you're out there, I'll always be there too." he said, taking the pin out of her hand and sticking it to her dress.

She would wear it proudly.

"Thank you Leren, I'll keep it safe I promise," she turned to the others, "and thank you guys so much. This is the best birthday I've ever had."

The rest of the night ticked away as everyone settled in and relaxed, chatting about nothing particularly special. The moon was high in the sky by the time Viviette and Leren left the Jaeger household. She couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate her birthday and she was sure it could have even better if her father and Walter had tagged along. She couldn't quite shake the minor disappointment she had in them for not coming.

"Viviette," Leren said carefully, "I...I'm sorry we couldn't do anything on your actual birthday."

"No it's okay, I'm not mad."

He patted her head. "You're a good kid."

They arrived at their house and quietly slipped inside, not wanting to possibly wake anyone up. To their surprise, there was light streaming from the kitchen into the dark hallway. Viviette looked at Leren who simply shrugged. She headed into the kitchen and was taken aback by the sight of her father. The moment his eyes landed on her, he cringed and shot up from the table, poised to flee, but she was undeterred and immediately began talking about dinner at the Jaeger's.

"Dad you'll never guess what happened tonight, Eren had me go back to his house and all of my friends were there and they had a birthday dinner for me, they even got me presents. Look at what Armin made for me." she said, rounding the table to show him her bracelet.

He jerked away and harshly said. "Go away Viviette."

"But I just want to show you-"

"I said go."

"But dad-"

"Go!"

He stepped forward and with a firm push, knocked her off her feet. She hit the ground hard and a sharp knock sounded as her head slammed into the floor, she was sure the impact rattled her brain a little bit. Leren yelled but she couldn't make out the words, her ears were ringing and she was extremely disoriented. Her father never raised a hand against any of his children, so why had he pushed her? She gaped at her father and realized he didn't quite look like himself, as if he weren't all there. There was a wild look in his eyes that she had never seen before. Her confusion was replaced with fear and as fast as she could, Viviette scrambled to her feet and clumsily ran up the stairs to her bedroom. She crawled into bed and yanked the blanket over head, using the thick material to shield her from all of the bad things going on downstairs. She could hear her father and Leren screaming at each other and she gripped the blankets tighter hoping it would some how drown them out. She didn't know how long they yelled, it could have been hours or minutes, she wouldn't have been able to tell. Her door slowly creaked open and the foot of her bed sunk from an added weight.

"Viviette, I am so sorry."

It was Leren.

Hesitantly she lifted the blanket from her face and saw the sullen look he wore.

"...why did dad do that?" she asked, her voice shaky.

"It's because...it's because you look too much like mom. You remind him too much of her and dad can't take it, he's lost it." he admitted.

In an instant, her strong and powerful brother broke down. Fat tears spilled from his eyes and he hunched over, clutching his face with his hand. His shoulders shook with sobs and it made Viviette tense up, she'd never actually seen him cry before. She thought he was invincible, that he could do anything. A titan had taken his arm and he was still doing his best to continue living. It was like nothing could stop him and now she didn't know how to react.

"It's my fault this is all happening, it's all my fault." he chanted.

With his one hand, he reached up and pulled at his brown curls, his face pulling into a tight frown. Viviette crawled over to him and grabbed his hand.

"It's no ones fault." she said quietly.

He shook his head. "No, it is my fault. If it weren't for me mom never would have joined the Survey Corps. She only joined because I did, she didn't want me to go alone. She'd still be alive to take care of you if I hadn't joined. She died because of me, I did this. I took mom away from you Viviette and I'm so sorry. I would give anything to take her place. I'm ruining your life, I'm trying so hard but I don't know what to do." he cried, fresh tears falling from his round eyes.

Viviette sat there stunned, unaware of all the guilt he'd been carrying. The brave face he'd been wearing had been an act, he was hurting just as much as they were. She decided she would be the brave one this time around.

"Leren," she said softly, "I'm not mad at you…"

"But you should be, life has been cruel to you Viviette."

"It hasn't, I promise it hasn't. Things can only get better, right?"

He stared at her as if she'd said something crazy and she was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

"You're too good for this world, mom would be so proud of you." he sighed.

Viviette gulped, trying to choke back tears of her own. She'd already cried once today and didn't want to make it a second time, she was trying to be strong.

"Mom talked about you all the time you know, she told people about how smart you were and how she missed you and Walter more than anything."

"I…I miss her too, but I know she wouldn't want me to be sad." she said, thinking back to her talk with Armin. If he could accept that his parents were gone and continue living, then she could too.

Leren chuckled lightly and aggressively wiped his tears away. "It's like you're the older sibling, I bet I look very silly right now."

Viviette yawned and shook her head. Leren noticed her drowsiness and decided it was time for him to head out. He stood up and patted her head before bidding her goodnight. She quickly stripped out of her clothes and into a nightgown before sliding underneath the blanket, sighing as her head made contact with her pillow, her exhaustion had finally caught up with her. It didn't take long for sleep to take hold.

* * *

The next morning Viviette woke up with a ferocious head ache, as if someone had smashed a boulder against her head and then promptly had it run over by a cart. She decided it would be best if she skipped her lessons for the day and would ask Leren to report her absence to Dr. Jaeger when she saw him. She contemplated tagging along to get her head checked out, but changed her mind. She'd go if things didn't improve by the next day. With her daily schedule cleared up, she wasn't sure what to do with all her extra time. Viviette debated whether or not she should spend the day studying but eventually decided against it, reviewing how to prep a wound for stitches didn't sound appealing. She could see what Armin was up to. Just the thought of him made a goofy grin appear on her lips and she peeked down at her new bracelet. She'd never received a gift so personal in her entire life and it thrilled her to no end that he'd gone out of his way to make it, without a doubt he was one of her closest friends. Viviette's stomach growled loudly and she figured it was time to stop lounging in bed and get her day started. She swapped her nightgown for her typical sweater over a dress attire and headed downstairs, frowning when she caught a glimpse of the clock in the kitchen. It was just after three, she hadn't planned on sleeping in so late. She'd never slept for so long before, Viviette was a firm believer of the 'early bird gets the worm' mantra.

"Uh Viviette."

She turned and immediately braced herself when she saw Walter, he'd been rather abrasive as of late and she wanted to be prepared for the verbal lashing.

"Yes?" she said apprehensively.

"I...well I just wanted to say I'm sorry for being such a pain lately, I shouldn't take things out on you all the time." he apologized.

Viviette was taken aback, definitely not what she was expecting.

"You don't have to say sorry."

Walter sighed. "Well I wanted to. And uh, I heard Leren and dad yelling last night and Leren told me about it this morning, how's the head?"

"Well I think my brain still works if that's what you're asking."

He chuckled with a small shrug. "That's all that matters."

Her stomach voiced its need for food again and she flushed with embarrassment.

"Are there any breakfast leftovers would there?"

Walter rolled his eyes and pointed to the table where a plate of bread, eggs, and fruit were waiting. He warned her that it definitely would not be hot, but that didn't stop her from digging in. Viviette wolfed down her cold breakfast and cleaned up her mess after she'd finished, she'd managed to get food all over the table.

"Is Leren here?" she asked as she patted her satisfied stomach.

"No, he said he was going to catch up with some friends and that he'd be back later. Why?"

"Oh, I was wondering if he could go see Dr. Jaeger for me to tell him I won't be at lessons today. I can do it though."

He shook his head. "I can do it for you."

"Are you sure?"

"I was going that way anyway, I can just swing by."

"Thanks, that's really nice of you," she said gratefully, "I think I'm going to go to Armin's house."

"Oh is he your little boyfriend that's been coming around lately? The blond one?" he teased.

"He's not my boyfriend!" she trilled while trying to tame her blush.

"Whatever you say."

Viviette ignored him and headed to the front door, pulling her shoes on in the entryway, she said goodbye before stepping outside. The weather was surprisingly nice for mid September, the sky was nice and blue with an array of fluffy clouds strolling by. With more pep in her step than usual, she walked to Armin's house. He didn't live too far away, a solid ten minutes away from her. His house was further away than Eren's but she didn't mind the walk, especially with the weather being so pleasant. It did take her a bit longer than usual though, she ended up taking a wrong turn and had to she finally arrived at Armin's house, she knocked on the door and shuffled her feet while she waited. His grandfather answered the door.

"Hi I was wondering if Armin was home."

"I'm sorry but you just missed him," he said, "but I can tell him you swung by."

Viviette bit back a frown.

"Alright thank you Mr. Arlert, sorry to bug you."

She waved and left his doorstep, trying to figure out what else to do. She figured Armin was on his way to Eren's or something of that sort and decided she didn't want to interrupt their bonding time. She wished she had more friends, Viviette wasn't particularly popular with her peers and her friend group consisted of Armin, Eren and Mikasa. Whenever they were busy, she was left with nothing to do. It wasn't like she was anti-social, she just had trouble relating with the other kids her age. She found them boring and simple minded.

Sighing, Viviette walked all over the district. She strolled through the marketplace, sat around the vast green fields, and poked around alley ways. The sun was beginning to set when Viviette finally decided to go home, having had her fill of the outdoors. When she arrived home, she flew to the kitchen for a cup of water. Leren was seated at the table and she smiled at him.

"Oh there you are, I was wondering where you were." he greeted.

"I went to Armin's but he wasn't home so I decided to just walk around the district, it was really nice today."

"I don't know if you should make a habit of that, there are some real creeps out there Viviette."

"No one is gonna bug me." she scoffed as she pumped water into her cup.

Just as the cup touched her lips, a loud crack rang through the house that shook its very foundations, Viviette let her cup fall from her hands and tightly clutched the counter until her knuckles turned white. Leren shot up from the table and ran to the front of the house. She would have gone after him, but her legs were shaking so badly that she was sure she would have fallen straight on her face. If it weren't for her grip on the counter, she would have been on the ground. Never in her life had she heard a noise like that. She'd been woken up by thunderstorms, but she knew without a doubt that what she'd just heard was not thunder. Her heart beat loudly in her chest as she waited for Leren to return with some sort of news. He ran into the room and his face was as white as snow; all of the color lost, but he wore a look of determination.

"Viviette we've got to go right now." he said urgently.

"W-what? What's going on?"

"Not now Viviette, we're leaving."

"But what about dad?"

"Viviette!" he screamed, causing her to choke back her next question.

He grabbed her hand and jerked her away from the counter, he squatted down and instructed her to get on his back. Confused, she did as she was told and got on his back, he dashed outside the moment her arms wrapped around his neck. Leren sprinted in the opposite direction of the wall and Vivette bounced on his back, holding on as though her life depended on it. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but her mouth had become so dry that she doubted she could let out even a peep. Besides the fact that her brain was so jumbled that she could hardly form words, let alone sentences. Viviette dared a peek behind her and she looked around for what had frightened her brother.

That's when she saw the skinless red face of a titan.

* * *

Not much to say this time around, I'm in a rush. Gotta go to work! I do my best with editing, but it's hard when it's your own work so please excuse and grammar issues there may be. Thanks for reading and leaving reviews, I really do appreciate each and every one of them. They're super awesome so by all means, keep em coming. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter and as usual, I only own Vivette and her family. See ya next time!


	4. Chapter 4

**Hearts of Gold**

The titan leered down at them and in that instant Viviette's body tensed and her grip around Leren's neck tightened. Her entire life, she thought nothing could overlook Wall Maria and yet a giant monster was staring into her district, its vibrant red muscle sharply contrasting with the soft oranges of the sunset. The giant titan was an abomination that nightmares were made of and Viviette's was about to begin. From behind the wall, the titan reared its foot back and slowly slammed it against the wall. The ground shook from the impact and Leren lost his footing. He pitched forward and with only one arm, quickly lost his hold on her. Viviette felt weightless as she sailed over his head; for a split second she thought she was flying, but the thought was shattered when gravity kicked in and she crashed into the ground. Her body rolled across the dirt as if it weighed next to nothing before finally skidding to a stop. She tried getting up but her limbs wouldn't move, she was frozen from either pain or fear, she couldn't tell either way.

"Viviette!"

Moments later Viviette felt her brother roll her onto her back and he sat her up. She groaned loudly, the sudden movements amplifying the throbbing in her skull. She was positive it has split open. Her head fell forward and she stared at her lap, unable to hold it up on her own. Her vision was fuzzy and it took her a moment to focus in on the small scarlet droplets that began to fall onto her dress. With a shaking hand Viviette brushed her hand against her temple where her pain had centralized. When she brought it down to her lap, her palm was slick and warm with blood. Her blood.

"Oh God Viviette, tell me you're okay. Please tell me you're okay." Leren begged.

Viviette slowly turned to look at her brother, his lips were moving but she couldn't make out the words, the ringing in her ears overpowered any sort of noise. Panic was written all over his face and it scared her; it was nothing like she'd never seen before, the pure desperation evident in his wide blue eyes.

"I-I'm okay." she said, unaware that she was yelling.

Her eyes bulged when she caught a glimpse past Leren, a boulder lay where her house had stood not five minutes before. In that moment, Leren and Viviette had become orphans. She screamed and reached for her house, but he held her down with a firm hand. He stood and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes before running in the opposite direction of the wall. Tears mixed with blood as Viviette yelled and cried for her dad, desperately reaching for her shattered house that only grew smaller and smaller the further they got. When her voice grew hoarse and finally died away, Viviette noticed the screams rising from the town. The shrill cries made her skin crawl and goose bumps lined the flesh on her arms, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. She looked back to the wall and gasped, the giant titan had disappeared. She prayed hard that her nightmare had finally ended, but the screams of her fellow human beings said otherwise. Her eyes frantically scanned the roof tops and she could see the heads of titans searching for prey. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't tear her eyes away from a titan wearing an idiotic look as it picked a woman up and dropped her into its open mouth as if she were a cherry. The movement of the titan's throat and its red stained lips made Viviette's stomach churn and she slammed a fist against her lips to stop herself from vomiting. She dropped and watched the ground pass by, the sight of the woman and the titan playing on repeat in her head. Viviette clenched her eyes shut and tried her best to erase the image, but nothing could stop the screams from ringing in her ears. One hundred years of blissful peace had finally come to an end.

Leren turned into an alley and set Viviette down as gently as he could. His chest was heaving and his breathing was labored, his face dripping with sweat. Viviette leaned against the hard brick of a house and rubbed her sore stomach, it ached from Leren's shoulder digging into it. Standing on her own two feet made her head spin, the blood rushing back to it now that she was finally upright. She slid down the wall until she was sitting, not caring if the hard brick scratched her back. She laced her fingers and prayed, she prayed that Eren and his family were safe, she prayed for Armin and his grandfather, she prayed Walter was still alive, and she prayed that she and Leren would get out of this together. Viviette wasn't particularly religious, but she remembered times when her mother would pray before bed and hoped it would work for her too. If someone or something was up there, she hoped with her entire being that they were listening.

"Let me look at your head." Leren said after finally catching his breath.

He tipped her head up and she stared right into his eyes as he inspected the wound on her head. Her frown matched his as he fished around his pockets. He retrieved a handkerchief and instructed it to press it against her temple.

"...Is it still bleeding?" she asked, trying to think back to head injuries during her lessons with Dr. Jaeger.

"Yeah, we'll get someone to check it out later but for now we've got to keep going. Can you walk on your own?"

Viviette nodded.

"Alright lets go."

She held the handkerchief against her temple with one hand and with the other grabbed Leren's. They continued walking towards the inner gate, Leren had decided they were far enough away from the titans that it was safe to walk, but the urgency never left their step. He led her past the gate and towards the ferries and it didn't take long for them to arrive, but the hordes of people trying to board concerned her. She was afraid there wouldn't be enough room and she; as well as everyone else in Shiganshina, would be left to die at the hands of the titans. Leren kept a firm grip on her hand as he started shouldering his way through the hoard, ignoring the cries and jeers that followed them. They were lucky enough to be one of the last to board the ferry and despite being pressed tightly against the ferry's rail, she was extremely grateful to be on board. Viviette diverted her attention to the billows of smoke rising from behind the wall, her home district had been reduced to rubble and there was nothing left to do but abandon it. Everything she'd ever known had vanished in an instant. Thunderous footsteps grew louder and Viviette's heart pounded heavily in her chest as numerous cannon shots sounded off. Moments later a large armored body barreled through the gate, sending debris from the wall as well as the bodies of soldiers through the air. The large stocky titan's glowing eyes caused a sharp shiver to roll up and down her spine. Before she could stop it, Viviette leaned over the side of the ferry and vomited violently into the water.

Her eyes watered while her throat burned from stomach acid as the contents of her belly were dumped into the canal. When her stomach was emptied, Viviette wiped her face off and sighed. The sharp taste lingered in her mouth and she was dying for something to clear it out, but she knew there was nothing available. She gasped when she say her reflection in the water. The girl looking back at her looked awful. Half her face was caked with dried blood and wild curls stuck up in every direction, wild blue eyes stared at her. Viviette jerked back when Leren squeezed her shoulder, he offered her an apologetic look. She grabbed hold of his shirt and refused to let go as the ferry moved through the water. Viviette leaned back and was taken aback when she noticed the armored titan had disappeared. It baffled her how something so large and frightening could be there one instant and gone the next. Regardless she was pleased to see it gone, unaware of the true extent of the damage it had done. The sounds of cries and whimpers blended together as they slowly abandoned the ruins that used to be their home.

"You doing okay?" Leren asked.

"I'm fine...what are we going to do now?"

He frowned and looked up to the sky. "We keep moving forward."

Viviette looked forward and didn't say another word for the rest of the trip. Her mind was working rapidly to process the events of the day, her whole life had turned upside down in a matter of minutes. Everything she'd ever known had been overrun by titans, the whereabouts of her other brother was unknown. She hoped Walter had gone to Mia's and that they were safe. Their future looked bleak, they had no money and all of their possessions had been left behind. All they had was the clothes on their backs.

Sometime later the ferry docked inside the safety of Wall Rose and the refugees were ushered onto land. Garrison troops had set up stations for them to check in and from there they would be directed to shelter. When Leren and Viviette reached the front of the line, they signed their names along with the other survivors and stepped aside. Viviette took her time writing her name, using the opportunity to scan the list for the names of her friends but was disappointed when she came up with nothing. She shuffled out of the way and was prepared to follow the other refugees to their designated areas but Leren pulled her back. He shook his head just as she was about to question him, silently asking her to trust him. Quietly they ducked away from the rest of the group and she followed him down an alley, when they were away from everyone else she decided to ask what he had planned.

"The Garrison troops are idiots, they are in no way prepared to deal with this situation." he snapped.

"But what are we going to do? We need their help."

Leren shook his head. "No we'll figure this out on our own. We're just extra mouths for them to feed; they don't care about anyone coming from Wall Maria."

"We don't have anywhere to go."

Leren sighed and grabbed her hand, giving it a tight squeeze.

"Just trust your big brother okay? I'll figure something out."

Viviette nodded and let him lead the way. Together they stopped at inn after inn seeking refuge but were constantly turned away. All the inns were full to capacity from the first few waves of refugees, they had come too late. After having the tenth inn shut the door in their faces, Viviette was beginning to lose hope. Her feet were sore from all the walking and her body felt heavy, she wasn't sure how much more she could take. Her head had begun to throb and she wanted nothing more than to shut her eyes and sleep all the pain away. The moon had already taken its place in the sky and had its soft light to go from. She wearily trailed after Leren as he knocked on another inn's door. A curvaceous woman with long auburn hair greeted them. She wore a stern look that made Viviette's back straighten immediately, afraid she may be scolded for her poor posture.

"Can I help you?" she asked, her voice sharp.

"Please help us, we're from Shiganshina and we need help. We don't have anywhere to go."

"Sorry I can't help you, there's no room here. Surely there are refugee camps. " she said.

The woman moved to shut the door but Leren's hand shot out and stopped her.

"You don't have to take me, but please don't leave my sister out here. I'm begging you, please help her. She was injured in the attack and we haven't gotten a chance to get any treatment. Please, just take her." He cried.

Viviette shook her head and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her nose into his back.

"No! I'm not leaving you!"

The woman stared at the siblings for a long time before letting out an audible sigh.

" Fine. I'll help you, but in no way is this going to be permanent. I'll let you all stay here until you get on your feet, okay?" she huffed, obviously annoyed.

Leren's head shot up and he snatched the woman's hand away from her hips.

"Thank you so much, I could never repay you. You've saved our lives miss." He said.

She jerked her hand back and scowled. "Do that again and I'll change my mind."

Viviette unlatched herself from her brother and entered the inn with him. She was surprised to see the lobby so empty; she thought it was full, but after glancing at the clock on the wall she realized it was nearly midnight. The woman hastily explained their living situation to them as she quickly led them through the inn. They would be sharing a bed in the attic and it would be their responsibility to clean it out, apparently it'd been years since anyone had been up there. The woman opened the attic door and Viviette promptly sneezed when the dust entered her nose. It definitely needed a thorough cleaning.

"And don't think I'll be letting you stay for free, you'll have to earn your keep." She said to Leren as she lit a candle for them.

"I wouldn't have it any other way. We never got your name by the-"

The woman ignored him and turned to Viviette. "I'm going to get some water for you."

"Well she sure is charming." Leren said when she was out of ear shot.

Viviette shrugged. "She is letting us stay here."

"Touché."

Leren started wiping off some of the dust while Viviette watched; she'd developed a head ache so he let her opt out of helping. The woman returned with a small bowl of water and a towel. She sat Viviette on the bed and kneeled in front of her. After wetting the towel, she gently dabbed Viviette's temple.

"What's your name kiddo?" she asked, her voice softer than when she spoke to Leren.

"Viviette Tieren and that's my brother Leren."

"It's nice to meet you Viviette, my name's Julia," she paused, "I'm sorry this happened to you."

Viviette winced, her words paining her more than her wound. The horrors of the day replayed in her mind and she blinked hard to clear any tears from her eyes. Julia noticed the change in the girl's demeanor and silently resumed washing her face. The bowl of water was stained red by the time Viviette's face was clear of any blood and grime. Quietly she grabbed the bowl and made her way towards the door.

"…goodnight." Julia sighed before shutting the door behind her.

Viviette reached up and touched her cheek, her fingers touching soft skin rather than caked blood.

"I think it's time for us to go to bed." Leren suggested.

She slid under the blanket and took the right side while Leren slid into the left after blowing out the candle. Viviette was grateful to be lying down after everything that had happened, her body ached all over and she was ready for sleep. The pillow felt as soft as a cloud and the blanket offered her a small sense of security. From under the blanket, she carefully fingered the small bishop charm on her wrist while finally letting her tears escape. She hoped with her entire being that Armin and the others were safe. Viviette rolled onto her stomach and let her eyes shut as sleep tugged at her tired brain. That night, her dreams were graced by the screams of humanity and the haunting stares of titans.

* * *

So I'm going to go ahead and apologize now for this chapter being so much shorter than the ones before. I really struggled with this chapter, if you couldn't tell already. Sorry, I promise it gets better so stick with me. Thanks for reading everyone and I really appreciate it when you review, I read them every time I need to motivate myself.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hearts of Gold**

It had been a week since Wall Maria had fallen at the hands of the titans and life inside Wall Rose was much different than Armin had expected. He naturally assumed the people of Wall Rose would welcome them and help the refugees of Maria cope with their losses and get them back on their feet, but he was quickly proven wrong. They were seen as a burden by Rose's inhabitants, just wastes of space who needed to be fed. It disappointed him to see his fellow human beings turning their backs on them when they truly needed assistance. Refugees had been huddled into tightly packed camps and when they were full to capacity, people were shipped to other parts of Rose to different camps. Armin did his best to keep his spirits high, but as food supplies dwindled away, so did his hopes. It was difficult staying optimistic when those around him were falling apart. Eren was absolutely miserable, after the death of his mother and disappearance of his father, the usually rowdy boy was left bitter and dismal. Mikasa put on a strong front for Eren but Armin could see she was becoming more withdrawn than usual, obviously shaken from losing her family a second time. He often found himself thinking about Viviette and her family too, he had no clue whether or not they survived the attack on Shiganshina. He missed his friend and hoped she was safe in another camp. Just the thought of the other possibility gave him chills. Armin was grateful his grandfather made it out because without him, the three of them surely would have been lost in the world.

The sun was high in the sky and Armin stared up at its vast blue surface, using his hand to shade his eyes from the harsh light. He was walking through the crowded streets with Eren and Mikasa trying to hunt down Hannes, he'd never gotten a chance to formally thanking him for saving his friends. And it was also an excuse to get away from the cramped camp for once. The streets were packed as people bustled around to their destinations and they had to maneuver through them so as to not get hit. They were making their way towards the Garrison troop's base when Armin spotted a familiar head of brown curls bouncing along. He stopped in his tracks and squinted, trying to get a better look but it was hard to see with so many people cutting through his line of vision. It didn't help that the person with the curls continued walking in the opposite direction.

"I'll be right back." he said quickly.

Armin ran towards the curly haired girl with an outstretched hand, he had to know if it was her or not. If he ignored his gut, he'd never forgive himself. His heart thudded loudly in his chest as he got closer to her while completely ignoring the possibility of it not being Viviette, that had to be her. He squeezed past a chatty couple, brought his hand down on the girl's shoulder, and spun her around. Dazed blue eyes stared back at him.

"A-armin?"

He sighed in relief when Viviette said his name and before she could say anything else, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I'm so glad you're safe." he gushed.

"Thanks, I'm glad things are okay with you too." she replied after carefully returning his hug.

Armin released her and took a second to look her over, she looked the same as the last time he'd seen her except for one small detail. A large bandage covered her temple, but other than that she looked fine. Eren and Mikasa caught up with him just as he asked what happened to her head. Viviette lightly touched the bandage and shrugged.

"Ah I fell, it's nothing really." she said nonchalantly.

"That's a pretty impressive bandage, looks like more than nothing to me." Eren said while admiring the bandage.

"I'll have to show it to you, it's pretty gross." she added with a grin.

"Viviette, you shouldn't just stop in the middle of the road."

Armin noticed the tall auburn haired woman behind Viviette and blushed, he didn't realize Viviette had been walking with someone and he just pulled her away. He bowed his head in the woman's direction.

"Ah I'm sorry ma'am, it's my fault. I'm the one who made her stop." he apologized.

She waved him off. "You don't have to apologize so formally."

"Oh Julia, these are my friends Armin Arlert, Eren Jaeger, and Mikasa Ackerman, they're all from Shiganshina too." Viviette said.

"I see, nice to meet you kids. We've really got to get going Viviette."

Viviette frowned. "Oh really? I was hoping I could stay and talk for a while."

"Your brother would have my head if I left you unsupervised." Julia said and shook her head.

"Do you think maybe they could come to the inn for a little bit?" she asked.

"I suppose that'd be fine, but you all can't be in the way."

Viviette turned towards them. "Do you guys want to come over?"

Armin looked at his friends for approval and Eren simply shrugged.

"Sure we'd love to."

The three of them joined Viviette and Julia as they walked back towards the inn. Half way through the trip Armin and Eren offered to carry the bags Julia had been carrying which she happily passed along. The inn was in a quiet part of town but with Wall Maria gone and its inhabitants forced into Wall Rose, the streets were covered with people loitering around. When they arrived they were greeted by a shirtless Leren, he was covered in sweat and dirt, his short ponytail plastered to his back. Armin admired the way he unabashedly worked with his shirt off, not caring if his stump was on display. He waved a small shovel in their direction and grinned.

"Hey guys, long time no see!" he called.

Armin noticed the flush in Julia and Mikasa's cheeks.

"You look filthy." Julia huffed as she brushed past him.

Viviette and Mikasa followed after her leaving Armin and Eren outside with the bags. Leren sighed and eyed the two boys.

"Ah I see they got you to do their dirty work." he said, gesturing to the bags.

Eren shrugged. "Eh this is nothing."

"And besides we offered to carry them." Armin added.

Leren chuckled. "Boys I'm going to teach you a valuable lesson about women. Whenever they're being mean you've just gotta roll with the punches. You do not want to have an angry woman on your as-"

He was interrupted when a shirt smacked him square in the face. Julia stood at the door with her hands firm on her hips.

"Don't teach these sweet boys any of your stupid woman catching mantras," she chided, "come on in boys before he infects your poor brains."

Leren laughed and pulled the shirt off his face. "Don't worry boys, I'll catch you next time and I can continue teaching you the ways of women."

Julia ushered them inside and took the bags from them. She instructed them to take the stairs all the way up to the attic where Viviette and Mikasa were. They thanked her before quickly joining their two companions upstairs. The attic was relatively bare save for a bed and a few pieces of furniture. Viviette and Mikasa were seated on the ground with their legs crossed.

"Sorry it isn't very exciting up here," she apologized, "but Julia doesn't like it when I'm in the way so i have to be be up here all the time. It's been busy here lately."

"Psh it's a lot better than where we are, it's so cramped. They just put a ton of people in a room with some mats." Eren complained.

Viviette stared at him. "Wait, you mean you guys aren't staying at an inn too?"

"No we're with the rest of the refugees in designated camps, only the wealthiest people were able to get a room in one of the inns." Armin explained.

She flushed and ducked her head. "Oh, I just assumed everyone got to stay in an inn and that's why they're all so full. I hope everything is going well over there."

"They're not nearly as bad as Eren is making them out to be, they're fine." Armin lied. Already they've had to skip meals and go to bed hungry. There were just too many people to feed and not enough resources to go around. But he wouldn't tell her that, he didn't want to risk upsetting her.

"I'm glad everything is going well and that you guys are safe," Viviette said, "How is everyone?"

The air turned cold as Eren and Mikasa shifted uncomfortably. Armin frowned and carefully eyed Viviette, she could tell that something had gone wrong.

"Um...my family didn't make it." Eren finally admitted as his hands tightened into fists.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. You guys are always welcome to come here, I know Julia wouldn't mind if you guys were here."

"Thank you Viviette, we'll remember the offer." Mikasa said, speaking for both her and Eren.

"You know my-"

A loud knock came from the door and Leren poked his head in with Julia right behind him, she wiggled past him with a plate of bread and jam.

"We thought you guys would be hungry." Julia said.

"More like _I _thought you all would be hungry." Leren jumped in, waving Julia off.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head before handing the plate off to Viviette. She thanked them for the food and the two quickly left. Viviette passed the plate around and everyone dug in, the previous conversation. Armin was grateful for the distraction that Leren and Julia brought, he didn't want their reunion to be a sad one.

"So Viviette," Eren said around a mouth full of bread, "you were saying your face was gross earlier."

"I didn't say my whole face was gross," she trilled, "just part of it."

"Fine fine whatever, I wanna see it."

"Okay fine, but don't say I didn't warn you."

Vivette set her bread in her lap and carefully removed the bandage. The scab on her temple was a dark shade of red while the skin surrounding it was a soft shade of pink. Armin estimated it was roughly the size of his fist and it definitely looked like it hurt. Eren leaned in and wrinkled his nose.

"Ugh that is gross."

Viviette shoved him.

"I told you it was gross," she huffed and covered the scab, "I hate it, it's annoying and it gets really itchy so then I have to smack it, but that just makes it hurt. It's all just a big gigantic mess."

"Well so long as your brain is okay then I'm sure you've got nothing to worry about." Armin chuckled.

"What have you been up to since you've been here?"

"Not much, I've been sitting around because I hurt my head and Leren didn't want me going out and making it worse. I finally got to go out today though." she explained.

"Maybe next time you can come to our place, there are a bunch of other kids there too." Eren offered.

"I'd like that."

The four kids spent the rest of the afternoon catching up, it'd only been a week since they'd all been together, but it seemed so much longer. They told her about their times in the waste lands, working hard to cultivate the land in order to lessen the severity of the impending food shortage. She went through the daily chores she had to finish throughout the day, Armin could see Viviette was troubled by their food woes. Occasionally Leren or Julia would pop in to check on them, but for the most part they were left on their own in the attic. It was hard to believe a little over a week ago Armin was cutting his hands trying to whittle a bishop for Viviette's birthday present. How quickly things change... The sun had set when Armin suggested they head home, his grandfather would be wondering where they'd been all day. Viviette walked them outside and gave Eren and Mikasa each a hug goodbye. Armin flushed when she came to him and he hesitantly returned her hug, he was afraid they'd knock heads and he didn't want to risk hurting her. Eren and Mikasa had already begun walking towards camp when they pulled apart, her cheeks were bright red. Viviette smiled at him and grabbed his hands, giving them a firm squeeze.

"I'm glad you're safe Armin, I was scared you guys didn't make it." she admitted.

"Yeah everything is okay with us, I hope everything goes well for you and the four of us will always be together right?"

"I promise."

* * *

A year passed and Viviette kept good on her promise to always be with her friends. She managed to find a new doctor to take her under their wing and when she wasn't working in the clinic or doing chores at the inn, she was with Eren, Mikasa and Armin. After losing her father and Walter; who disappeared after the attack, she realized just how precious life truly was and she refused to miss any opportunities she had with those she cared for. Leren and Julia kept her sane as she filled her brain with medical jargon, always listening to her rant and rave after every lesson with her irritating but insightful amused her how they tried hiding their relationship from, she wasn't an idiot. She knew Leren went down to Julia's room every night after he thought she'd fallen asleep. Viviette was glad though. It made her happy to see her brother with a woman who could look past his handicap and see him as the joyful man he truly was. It didn't hurt that Julia kept him grounded, Leren's silly antics could get out of hand sometimes and Julia was always around to knock him down a few pegs. All in all her life was going well and she liked it that way.

"What a pity, those poor fools are going to be slaughtered."

Vivette turned her head towards the two men seated in the lobby of the inn. They had fat bellies and wore fancy clothes she'd never seen before.

"They're nothing more than food for the titans."

Viviette deliberately slowed her pace so she could eavesdrop, their conversation piquing her interest.

"Yeah no kidding, I guess I feel bad for them but hey, it's not me so what do I care?"

Viviette walked up to their table and put on her best smile.

"Excuse me, I was wondering what you were talking about." she said politely.

"It's nothing a kid like you should worry about, now run along." said the bald man, waving his heavily adorned fingers at her.

"I'm just curious." she countered.

"Oh what the hell, just tell her. Nothing wrong with a little curiosity." jeered the bald man's companion.

"Whatever, the central government rounded up a bunch of the refugees of Maria yesterday and sent them out on some expedition to try and take back the Wall," the man scoffed, "but they aren't fooling anyone. They just don't want to feed those freeloaders anymore so they sent them out to get eaten. Good riddance I say."

Vivette stood there stunned, she couldn't believe the words that had come from his mouth. She was baffled how he was able to speak about his fellow human beings with such disdain. Sure, space was a little tight but that didn't mean people deserved to die. She assumed he was a visitor from Wall Sina because no one who had seen the horrors of the attack would ever speak in such a manner. Anger settled into her stomach, how dare he speak in such a way.

"You have no idea what you're saying, you've never seen a titan have you?" she asked while her voice grew louder, "it's not some joke mister. They are real and they are terrible, how could you wish for people to be sent out into titan territory? You're a monster and I-"

"Viviette Tieren, that is enough."

She whipped around to see Leren. He stormed over and apologized to the two men before he snatched her wrist and forced her outside.

"What in the world are you doing? You know better than to talk to a guest like that." he snapped

"Did you hear what they said? They said it was good that civilians are being forced into titan territory. They said it was okay that they're going to be eaten, how can they say that? I'm not going to just stand there and let them say that stuff."

Leren sighed and dragged his hand across his face.

"Viviette...there are stupid people in this world and sometimes we've just got to sit by and let them run their course because getting involved can make things worse."

She stomped her foot. "No, dumb people can't just do whatever they want."

"Well Vivette I'm sorry, but that's life. You don't get to fix every person that you decide is dumb. You need to apologize to those men, they're customers and you're not allowed to speak to them like that."

"I refuse, he doesn't deserve it."

"I said apologize."

"And I said no." she said stubbornly while crossing her arms over her chest.

Leren stared at her. "I'm disappointed in you Viviette, I thought you would be the bigger person but I guess I was wrong."

Her anger was replaced by hurt as his words sunk in. She never wanted to disappoint him but she couldn't allow herself to apologize to a man who did not deserve it.

"Well then I'm sorry to disappoint, but I'm not saying I'm sorry." she said after a long pause, "I'm gonna go see Armin, don't wait up."

Viviette turned on her heel and walked away, half expecting him to come after her but the loud slam of the inn's door said otherwise. That was the first time they'd ever gotten into an argument and it wasn't sitting well with her. She understood that he had to be a makeshift parent to her and she didn't mind being reprimanded when she actually did something wrong, but she did not like being scolded because she defended other human beings. She thought he'd be just as upset about the whole situation as she was; he was there for the attack too, but it seemed like he was against her on it. She felt a little betrayed. Seeing Eren and Armin would brighten her mood, they would surely agree with her.

The walk to the refugee camp was a long one, but one she had grown accustomed to. She made it at least once a week, if not more. But unlike the other visits, this one seemed different. When she arrived, she wasn't greeted by the adults who'd begun to recognize her face. She saw no one, the camp was empty save for a few children and elderly people. It was odd, but then she remembered the expedition. She hurried towards the area Eren, Mikasa and Armin occupied, hopefully she hadn't missed them. She spotted Mikasa's red scarf outside their tiny cabin.

"Hey guys!" she called, running towards them.

They looked up and Eren waved at her.

"I was hoping you'd be coming today." he said when she pulled up next to him.

"What do you mean? I heard about the expedition, you guys are all okay though right? Is someone sick? I can take you to the doctor and-"

"No Viviette, it's not that."

Eren looked away as Mikasa stepped forward.

"It's his grandfather, he joined the others on the expedition." she answered.

"Are you serious?" she asked, her earlier annoyances immediately forgotten.

They nodded.

"Did they make him go?"

"He went on his volition." she said.

"Yeah he left yesterday, Armin hasn't really been his self since then." Eren added.

"I'm going to go see him."

Viviette sucked in a deep breath and steeled herself for tears, but when she stepped inside she saw Armin smiling at her. The skin around his eyes was pink and puffy and his cheeks were stained red. He was seated at their table with his grandfather's familiar straw hat in his hands. She slowly walked around until she was standing beside him.

"Hey Viviette."

"Hi Armin."

He looked away from her to the hat. "I guess you've heard, huh?"

She nodded.

Armin chuckled and shook his head. "I wish they wouldn't treat me like a baby, believe it or not I can handle it. I'm not a baby."

"I know Armin, but they're just worried about you. We're all worried about you."

"You don't have to be, my grandfather is going to come back. I know he is."

Viviette squeezed his shoulder and nodded. "Yeah...I'm sure he will."

But in the end after months out in titan territory he, along with a fifth of the population, did not make it back from behind the wall. Days after the expedition, Armin, Eren, and Mikasa came to stay with her in the inn so they wouldn't be alone. The moment Viviette heard the news of the failed expedition from the doctor months, she immediately abandoned her studies and went to Armin, staying with him while he wept. After seeing him cry, something inside her changed and her ambition to join the Survey Corps strengthened. She would join to follow in her mother's footsteps as a medic, but now more than ever she wanted to join to make the titans pay. They had hurt her and her friends one too many times and she vowed she would never allow the titans to hurt them again.

Even if it meant her life.

* * *

Well here we are with chapter five. I hope things aren't going by too fast, but I need things to progress faster so that we can move on and meet the rest of the cast. The next chapter will be the last one before training so that's good. Please excuse any grammatical errors that I may have left, I do my best to catch them all but sometimes I miss some things. I'm sorry! Thanks to everyone who has been reading and especially to those who have reviewed, I really appreciate it and I'm very happy that you all stuck around. I'm going to start the next chapter as soon as possible so please in the mean time, keep reading and keep reviewing.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hearts of Gold **

For years Viviette dreamed of the day she would finally be able to enlist in the military, but as her departure day drew near, the butterflies in her stomach continued to grow. She hadn't grown nearly as much as her companions had and feared her small stature would hinder her performance. As an overachiever, she would not accept anything less than exemplary. Once a week she checked her height hoping there would be some sort of change but it seemed she had plateaued at 147 centimeters. Viviette envied Mikasa who shot up in height around her thirteenth birthday in February. One thing she had going for her though was her speed, not even Eren or Mikasa could best her in the race. But speed alone would not be enough to get her through training, she would need to build some serious muscle if she wanted to succeed. Leren had given her a brief run through of training; although it'd been nearly ten years since he'd gone through it and surely some things had changed, and the only thing Viviette took from Leren was that training would be hell. A small part of her feared she would flunk out and be forced to work in the fields, but that fear was trampled out by her drive to graduate. She would not fail. Knowing Eren, Mikasa, and Eren would be going with her helped calm her nerves, but it also reminded her that she would be leaving her brother soon. He was the last family she had and she didn't want to leave him behind but knowing Julia would be there to take care of him soothed her worries. Leren would be fine in her capable hands.

Sighing, Viviette sat in bed and counte her hand how many days she had left. Five days. Would she be able to-

"Viviette!"

Leren burst into the attic, panic written all over his features.

"You need to come with me right now." he ordered.

For a brief moment Viviette was taken back to that day years ago when the Colossal Titan disrupted her life and stripped her of her family, but she quickly shook the thought away. No good would come from thinking about that day.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"It's Julia, something's wrong with her!"

Viviette jumped out of bed and was right on Leren's tail as they flew down the stairs. They pushed into Julia's room just in time to see the woman empty her stomach into a basin. Leren stilled at the sound of her retching. Viviette pushed past her brother to stand by Julia's side, holding her hair back to avoid getting any vomit in it. She'd already grown accustomed to bodily fluids due to her lessons at the clinic, it didn't bother nearly as much as it did her brother. When Julia finished, Viviette took the basin and set it aside so she could examine her. Julia's face was flushed and her skin damp with sweat. She pressed the back of her hand against her forehead to check for a fever but Julia pushed it away, not giving her enough time to properly check.

"It's fine Viviette, I don't know why Leren woke you up. It's just a stomach bug." she explained after wiping her mouth.

"I was already awake, are you having any other symptoms?"

Julia shook her head.

"Well if you insist it's just a stomach bug then I'll take your word for it. You should stay in bed though and make sure to drink a lot of water. And seriously, if things start to get worse then you should let me know as soon as possible." Viviette instructed.

"I'll make sure she stays in bed." Leren declared

Julia shot that down immediately and began to get out of bed. "Oh no way, you'll burn the place down if I leave everything to you."

Viviette rolled her eyes and left them alone, she could hear them bantering back and forth from down the hall. She had her hand on the rail leading to the attic when her name was called.

"Oi Viviette."

She looked over her shoulder to see Eren and Armin, the former wearing a wide smirk.

"What's up?"

"I like your outfit." Eren said.

She peered down and to her dismay she realized she was still in her sleep clothes. Her cheeks burned in embarrassment as scurried up the stairs to her room, ignoring Eren's irritating laugh, Viviette made sure to slam the door loud enough for him to hear it. She quickly changed out of her sleep clothes and into a white button down tucked into a long navy skirt. After tying her curly hair back, Viviette joined her friends downstairs at the table for breakfast. A steaming bowl of porridge was waiting for her and she happily dug in.

"Glad to see you're dressed and ready to go." Eren said.

Viviette ignored him and turned towards Armin. "So how did you sleep?"

"Just fine, it's been getting pretty hot though." he chuckled.

"Yeah it sucks cause I'm in the attic and heat rises, it gets really hot up there," she complained in between a bite of porridge, "Oh and are you guys all feeling okay?"

Eren, Mikasa, and Armin all nodded.

Viviette scratched her chin. "Hm that's interesting, Julia wasn't feeling well this morning so I was wondering if anyone else was sick. I guess it's just her."

"Oh, I hope everything is okay. I'd hate for her to be sick, we should take on a couple more chores to help out if she's not feeling well." Armin suggested.

"She was very adamant about doing all of her work today, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind if we did a few more chores."

"And besides, it's not like we've got to tell her." Eren added.

Ever since the three of them had come to live in the inn, they'd really taken to Julia. The older woman filled a sort of mother like role that the four of them lacked and subconsciously craved. Viviette was sure Julia liked doting on them anyway. She checked the clock on the wall and gasped, she was going to be late for lessons...again. Quickly she shoveled porridge into her mouth until her cheeks were stuffed and hurried towards the door. She clumsily stepped into her boots and ran out of the inn in the direction of the clinic, carefully swallowing her food so as to not choke. She weaved in and out of throngs of people, making use of the short cuts the alleys provided. Lately Viviette had developed a knack for being late, a trait that had gotten her into plenty of trouble. By the time she arrived at the clinic, she was tired and sweaty, her curly hair disheveled and multiple pieces had come free from her pony tail. She made her way inside where her instructor was waiting.

"I'm sorry I'm late again, someone was sick so I had to see what was going on and I lost track of time and-"

He held out his hand. "You don't need to explain Viviette, I actually have something for you. Please wait here."

He disappeared into the back and Viviette waited anxiously for him to return, hopefully she wasn't in too much trouble. Whenever she was late she received a sharp slap on the wrist with a meter stick and her instructor knew the best spot to hit in order to really make it hurt. She rubbed her wrist and unintentionally tensed up when he returned. But instead of the meter stick, she was surprised to see a small paper bag. He passed it along to her and all she could do was look back and forth from him to the bag.

"W-what's this?"

"I wanted to properly thank you for all the work you've done around here, you truly were a great apprentice and I hope for many more like you." he said, his usually rough voice seemed uncharacteristically soft.

"But I've got a couple more days left."

"You should enjoy your last few days while you have them."

He placed his large hands on her shoulders and spun her around, giving her a slight push towards the door.

"Now get going kiddo, be sure to visit this old man when you've become a proud Survey Corps member."

"But wait, there is more I need to learn."

"I've taught you all that I can, the rest you can only learn through practice. Now scoot, I've got work to do."

Before she could react Viviette was already out the door. She stared at her bag and sighed. That man knew how to push all her buttons, but she would be forever grateful to him. She quietly gave her thanks from outside before returning home to the inn. Armin nearly dropped the basket he was carrying when he saw her.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have lessons until the afternoon?"

"Not anymore, I'm dismissed now," she noticed his basket, "can I help you?"

"Yeah sure, I'm just folding sheets. Do you want to put your stuff away and meet me outside?"

Viviette nodded and they parted ways for the moment. She ran up to her room in the attic and peeked inside her bag. A small case was sitting at the bottom and she quickly discarded the bag to get to her gift. She opened the case to reveal a small medical kit and a note. Viviette grinned, finally she had her very own medical kit. She carefully caressed the small set of scissors, everything was so shiny and clean. She set aside the case and next opened the note.

_Keep up the good work kid, I know you'll do well as always._

-_Abram_

_p.s. Try not to stab any of your patients with the tweezers again._

Her chest tightened as she carefully folded the note and set it with the case. Her instructor's small note and gift touched her, she'd definitely never expected anything from him. He'd always been quite hard on her, constantly griping about her work, but she knew deep down it was for her own good. Her medical knowledge wouldn't be where it was without him. She swore to make it up to him one day. But for now she needed to return to Armin.

As she made her way back downstairs, she made a point to poke her head into Julia's room to check up on her. Despite her disagreement with Leren, she was sound asleep. With her taken care of for the time being, Viviette met up with Armin in the back. He was holding up a crisp white sheet that blew slightly with the summer breeze. Viviette grabbed the bottom half and met him half way to start folding it. Together they folded sheets in a comfortable silence. They were on the fifth sheet when Armin decided to speak up.

"I'm definitely going to miss all of this." he mused with a small smile.

"Me too...I'm going to miss my brother a lot." she admitted.

"But we're going to be together so I know it'll all be okay."

"Yeah," she paused to pick up another sheet," hey Armin...um...are you a little scared to leave?"

Viviette bashfully broke their eye contact, suddenly feeling very self concious over her question. It seemed stupid after saying it out loud.

"I do actually, it's very scary. I'm nervous I won't do as well as Eren or Mikasa but I know I've got to try my best out there. I won't dote on them, I've got to learn to stand on my own two feet."

"Jeez, that sounds so noble."

"Is it? I guess it's just something I've always believed in. I'd rather die than become a burden."

Viviette nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, I want others to be taken care of too…guess that's part of the reason I'm becoming a medic."

"And I know you're going to make a great one, you've been working really hard." Armin praised.

She flushed. "Ah- thanks Armin, I really appreciate that."

They both bent over to reach into the basket and when her hand brushed his, Viviette immediately jerked back, startled by the contact.

"Are you okay?" he asked, immediately concerned.

Her palm felt hot and she clutched it to her chest. "It's nothing, I'm just being dumb."

"Well be careful then," he peeked into the basket, "and we're all done too."

She grabbed the basket from the ground while he took the sheets and they entered together. Viviette mentally cursed herself. Why had she pulled away from him? It's not like she's never touched him before. She summed it up to the heat, perhaps the sun fried her brain. Eren and Mikasa met them in the basement where all the extra supplies were kept.

"What are you doing here?" Eren asked.

"I don't have lessons anymore, what are you doing here?"

He gestured to the pile of sticks Mikasa had just set down in the corner. "Duh."

"Excuse you."

Mikasa stepped forward. "Let's just get back to our chores."

The next couples of days passed by in a similar manner, Julia seemed to have a fairly powerful stomach bug because every morning she would be throwing up into the basin and Leren being the stubborn man he was, refused to let her do any sort of work. One morning he even threatened to lock her in her room after catching her in the kitchen. She would check up on Julia before starting her chores and would keep her company afterwards as well. Viviette and the other kids didn't mind the extra chores, if it meant doing their part then they were fine with it. They would divvy out the chores for the today and depending on how diligent they were, they could knock out a majority of them by lunch time. Although whenever Eren and Viviette were partnered up, they more often than not slacked off and were quickly reprimanded by Mikasa. Leren dealt with the guests while they took care of the more menial tasks. Before Viviette knew it, it was the night before their departure day. Four cases were packed and waiting in the lobby for them to grab in the morning. They were currently seated around the dinner table with all of their favorite dishes presented to them. Despite the joyful atmosphere, Viviette couldn't get into high spirits. She didn't want to leave all of this behind.

"So...tomorrow is finally the day," Leren sighed into his stew, "I don't want you guys to leave, you should just stay here."

"Oh hush don't be a baby. You should be proud of them." Julia said.

"I am proud of them!" he huffed.

Armin cleared his throat. "Um, thank you Julia for making dinner for us. I know you haven't been feeling well so I appreciate you going out of your way to do this for us."

She waved her hand in dismissal but she still ended up with a blush on her cheeks.

"It was nothing, you four deserve it."

"How are you feeling by the way?" Mikasa asked after taking a drink of water.

"Honestly I feel fine, it's just the mornings that trip me up. I wish we could just figure out what it is so we can move on. I'm tired of just being in bed."

"Well you're pregnant." Viviette said.

All conversations ceased immediately and Eren even spit his water. Five pairs of eyes bore into her and Viviette blinked.

"...wait. You mean you guys didn't know? It was so obvious after the second day."

"Well sorry not all of us are medics!"

Viviette rolled her eyes. "I just assumed you all knew, but yeah I'm pretty positive she's pregnant."

Leren jumped out of his chair and ran to a shocked Julia. He pulled her out of her chair and embraced her.

"Did you hear that? We're gonna be parents." he gushed.

"...whoa."

The kids hooped and hollered in celebration for the new parents to be and after the excitement died down some, they returned to their seats, the grins never leaving their faces.

"So this means you've got to get married now." Eren said.

"Well of course, I wouldn't have it any other way." Leren nodded in agreement.

"Ooh you should have one during the spring time." Viviette added.

"No way," Eren countered, "it should be in winter."

Julia sighed and slumped in her chair. "I can't believe a bunch of twelve year olds are chiding me over my future wedding."

"Excuse me, Mikasa and I are thirteen now." Eren corrected her.

Everyone laughed and the rest of dinner ticked away with boisterous conversations and second helpings on dinner. Leren and Julia dismissed the kids when dinner came to an end, they refused to let them help clean up their celebration dinner. Viviette looked at the clock and frowned, it was nine o'clock. She wished she could stay in this moment forever, but knew would regret staying up any later. Tomorrow was a big day. Viviette reluctantly said her goodnights and made her way to her room. She crawled into bed after changing into her sleep clothes. This would be her last night in this bed and as much as she hated how hot it got in the attic during the summer, she knew she would miss it. She'd miss everything about the inn. A quiet knock came from the door and Leren poked his head in.

"Can I come in for a sec?"

Viviette sat up and waved him in. Leren walked over and joined her on the bed. He held out his arm and she immediately curled up against his side, resting her head on his chest like a cat. She could hear the steady beat of his heart and it calmed her. She knew the hardest part about leaving tomorrow morning would be leaving her brother.

"I'm gonna miss you." she mumbled into his shirt.

"I know and I'm going to miss you too Viviette. It's hard seeing my sweet baby sister go off to join the military."

"Do you not want me to go?"

"I would love it if you stayed with Julia and I at the inn, but I know that's not what you want. You've got to follow your dreams… and I just want you to know how proud of you I am. And I know mom and dad and Walter are all proud of you too."

Viviette's eyes prickled with tears and she gripped Leren's shirt until her knuckles turned white.

"I...I'm scared Leren."

He ran his hand up and down her back. "It's okay to be scared. You're leaving home to go and do something you've never done before. But everything is okay, you're a smart girl and you'll figure out what to do. And you've got great friends who are going to be there with you every step of the way. You all need to stick together and help one another."

Viviette nodded slowly.

"I'm sad I'm gonna miss your wedding."

"I promise we'll wait and have it so you can see it. I am curious though, how did you and the other kids know Julia and I were in a relationship like that? We wanted to hide it from you guys, didn't think it was appropriate."

She shot him a look.

"...were we really that obvious?"

"Of course."

He chuckled. "I suppose it can't be helped."

They lay there in silence for awhile and to Viviette's dismay, fatigue began to settle in and her eyelids grew heavy.

"I love you Leren."

"I love you too kiddo, I love you too."

* * *

Sorry it took so long for me to update but I've been busy with a ton of stuff. So here we are, the last day before training. I'm looking forward to introducing some of our favorite characters and moving on with the plot. It's going to be fun. As always, thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing. I really appreciate it you guys, thank you. And of course, please any excuse any grammatical errors I didn't catch. I do my best, but it's hard to edit your own work sometimes. And also I wanted to address a few reviews.

**Ninja-** Lmfao sorry I did that, I use google drive for all of my chapters so it doesn't notify when I misspell her name. It's definitely with two I's though. Viviette.

**S. Rune- **Yes Viviette is definitely joining the Survey Corps with the rest of our favorite trio. And also you can review on which ever story you want, they're both the exact same. I just appreciate that you review!

Thanks guys, see you soon.


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